Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1887-12-07
g ssOIN,lG CON oRs.
strange Sport Of Mounted ChilIsns wit
the Bird Of the Andes.

s6Gt0UHU #6pOf6#Ols NtOUUGoW ECulkl0N8 WIN
the Bird Of the Andes. n #
tits no uncommon thing for q mature
condor to- have fifteen-foot spread Of
wing. Their bodies are very heavy
5andon the ground the bird Is clumsy.
It can not rise for flight without rum
ming rapidly forward fifty yards or SO
to give it necessary momentum, espe-
cially if tits gorged with food, which it
always WILDE if food can be obtained.
AS q consequence, every condor that
alighted i'll one Of these Enclosures was
as much a prisoner as il he were chained
down to the ground, and the sportsman
kept him there 10 serve his pleasure.
When.he wanted to ride after condor
the owner Of the pen, generally with a
friend ,or two similarly equipped,
mounted fleet horse, fastened his
lariat to the saddle, and rode to the in
closure. An, attendant opened the gate
of the prison and let out a condor for
each 'huntsman. The condors at liberty,
they at once started at the top Of their
speed to;take the long run that would
enable, them to rise on the wing, and
after they had made one-quarter of the
distance the huntsmen put spurs to
their horses and dashed after. AS the
birds rose from the ground with wings
spread the'lassoer would send his moose
over the condor's head and so manage
it that it would slip down until it
touched the wings before it frightened
on the bird. The condor was pris-
oner, but able to use his wings. breathe
freely, and lead, at the end of the lasso,
the horseman a wild chase across the
plain. When the horseman tires of the
sport, unless the condor became ex-
hausted before, he would turn his horse
about and lead the chase himself, fore
ing the unwilling bird along until it
tumbled exhausted to the ground and
was dragged to death at the horses
heels. never could understand why
condor, captive like that. did not turn
on both man and horse and attack them
as he would a steer in the very presence
of the herdsmen. Once in while
lariat would break while the horseman
was bracing his horse against some
desperate sweep of the condor, and
then both horse and rider would pitch
violently to the ground and the sud-
denly released bird dart upward like
cannon ball / tried the sport but once.
I lassooed my bird. tremendous fel-
low, but frightened the moose on his
wind-pipe. That shut off his breath at
once, and after darling about in the air
in a crazy sort of way for a minute or
two, he rose up straight as far as the
rope would let him, gave gasp like the
safety-valve' of a locomotive. and shot
down upon me as straight as a plumb
bob. The bird must have weighed
one hundred and fifty pounds, and
when he struck me was endorsed in a
flash. One foot remained in the STIR
rup. My horse, naturally frightened,
started off like mad, dragging me
along. The condor, which was dead
as a stone and smelt like breeze off
of Barren island, lay right on top of
me. Fortunately the ground was soft,
and one of my fellow huntsmen was
maneuvering with condor some dis
lance ahead of me. He caught my
runaway horse and rescued me. I
wasn't hurt much, but lassooed no
more condors.-M ?. Null and En-
press.